Nepal: Morang High Alert for #birdflu #H5N1

BIRATNAGAR, March 16: A high alert has been adopted in Morang against bird flu hazard, owing to an outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) in Indian border district, Purniya of Bihar.

According to the regional livestock quarantine office Biratnagar, import of poultry and poultry products, feeds and vaccine from India has been banned in the district, bearing in mind the possibility of bird flu outbreak. The bird flu virus was detected in chickens at a Madhuwani-based poultry farm at Lankatole few days back.

Security bodies in Morang and Sunsari, local administrations, customs offices, traders and livestock quarantine offices have been alerted on the possibility of bird flu outbreak in the districts. Surveillance at border areas has been increased to check the illegal import of fowls and fowl-related products, office chief Dr Ram Sharan Saha

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=51649

U.S. researchers find way to defeat antibiotic-resistant bacteria

2013-03-16

HOUSTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. researchers have "cured" a strain of bacteria of its ability to resist an antibiotic, in a development that has promising implications for a long-standing public health threat, a medical newspaper reported Friday.

Researchers from Rice University in Houston managed to prevent the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria from resisting the antibiotic medication tetracycline by limiting the bacteria's access to food and oxygen, according to the online edition of Texas Medical Center News.

Pedro Alvarez, chair of the civil and environmental engineering department at Rice University, observed the starving bacteria across 120 generations, and found that in every case the starving bacteria chose to conserve energy rather than use its energy to pass on plasmid -- the small genetic element responsible for drug resistance.
-snip-
Continued:  http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2013-03/16/c_132237976.htm

China: Authorities dismiss swine epidemic, more dead pigs surface

2013-03-16


HANGZHOU, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Shanghai and east China's Zhejiang Province reassured the public on Friday that no swine epidemic has been detected after more dead pigs were fished out of local rivers.
The municipal government of Jiaxing said another 3,601 dead pigs have been retrieved from rivers and roadsides around the city.
-snip-
Continued:  http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-03/16/c_132238115.htm

Kuwait: «Education» team of social workers to rehabilitate colleagues deceased student Nora psychologically ..

03/17/2013
Informed sources revealed the Ministry of Education for "today's world" that the ministry has given instructions to the Farwaniya educational formation dedicated team of social workers to do rehabilitation and psychological follow-up colleagues requesting "Nora" deceased to see تاثرهن incident that occurred and also control their level and attainment of scientific and attendance attendance daily.

 In a related context The sources revealed the determination of the ministry develop management of crises educational specializes in dealing with emergencies that occur in school as they arise, such as disabling the study because of the spread of disease swine flu or bird or any other disasters may occur, such as receiving school for any hoax and a bomb or fire which requires Exit students or students outside the walls of the school or the like and also solve the problem of lack of students repeated before and after the holidays and public holidays for state and others. On the other hand sources revealed that the ministry is currently studying the possibility of launching name requesting deceased "Nora" on one of the nation's schools to perpetuate her name because she died within a school classes the ministry and its fulfillment.

http://www.alamalyawm.com/ArticleDetail.aspx?artid=252953

Jordan: Girl Died, Older Sister & Brother in ICU, Undiagnosed

 03/16/2013

Translation from Arabic

Special ... Soualev girl died "agents. p" town Algosfah in Irbid Governorate result of being struck with a sudden rise in temperature on Thursday night where the child introduced to Yarmouk Hospital and then transferred to Princess Rahma Hospital in Irbid, but it soon died As introduced her older sister and younger brother to intensive care for diagnosed with the same symptoms as not identify the cause of death and injury is suspected to be the reason the bird flu that family kept birds in her home in the town of Algosfah Tmakhz blood samples from deceased and injured were sent samples to Amman for examination and even moment did not get the test result people in the town fear of sending their children tomorrow to school for fear of transmission to their children In a telephone conversation with Dr. Ahmed Mikdadi Director of Education built Kenana told us that education will take the necessary precautions tomorrow at school and will be present in the queue morning to inquire and conduct necessary medical survey in collaboration with the District Health Directorate Bani Kinana and light it will take appropriate action with the results of the tests P. P

http://www.sawaleif.com/mob/Details.aspx?DetailsId=59833

Coronavirus victim's widow tells of grief as scientists scramble for treatment

March 15, 2013
Mark Smith and Ian Sample

The widow of the first person to die of a deadly new Sars-like virus in the UK has told the Guardian of the tragic circumstances of his death.

Azima Hussain, 33, giving her first interview, spoke of the devastation inflicted on her family by the coronavirus that killed her husband, Khalid, last month.

She said her father-in-law, Abid – who was the unwitting bearer of the disease – is still unconscious in hospital and unaware of the death of his son. He fell ill from the virus after a trip to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to pray for the health of Khalid, who had brain cancer.


Continued:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/mar/15/coronavirus-victim-widow-scientists-treatment

Coronavirus: is this the next pandemic?

Friday 15 March 2013 16.06 EDT

Last September a doctor in a Saudi hospital was fired for reporting a new, deadly strain of the coronavirus. Now, with half of all confirmed cases ending in death, the World Health Organisation has issued a global alert and scientists are preparing for the worst.

Continued: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/mar/15/coronavirus-next-global-pandemic

CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases: Full-Genome Deep Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis of Novel Human Betacoronavirus

Volume 19, Number 5—May 2013 

 

Matthew Cotten, Tommy T. Lam, Simon J. Watson, Anne L. Palser, Velislava Petrova, Paul Grant, Oliver G. Pybus, Andrew Rambaut, Yi Guan, Deenan Pillay, Paul KellamComments to Author , and Eleni Author affiliations: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK (M. Cotten, S.J. Watson, A.L. Palser, V. Petrova, P. Kellam); University of Oxford, Oxford, UK (T.T. Lam, O.G. Pybus); University College London, London, UK (D. Pillay, P. Kellam); University College London Hospitals,; London (P.Grant, E. Nastouli); University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK (A. Rambaut); Fogarty International Center–National Institutes for Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA (A. Rambaut); The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (Y. Guan)

Abstract

A novel betacoronavirus associated with lethal respiratory and renal complications was recently identified in patients from several countries in the Middle East. We report the deep genome sequencing of the virus directly from a patient’s sputum sample. Our high-throughput sequencing yielded a substantial depth of genome sequence assembly and showed the minority viral variants in the specimen. Detailed phylogenetic analysis of the virus genome (England/Qatar/2012) revealed its close relationship to European bat coronaviruses circulating among the bat species of the Vespertilionidae family. Molecular clock analysis showed that the 2 human infections of this betacoronavirus in June 2012 (EMC/2012) and September 2012 (England/Qatar/2012) share a common virus ancestor most likely considerably before early 2012, suggesting the human diversity is the result of multiple zoonotic events.

Continued...

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/5/13-0057_article.htm 

Predicting hotspots for future flu outbreaks

Public release date: 14-Mar-2013
This year's unusually long and rocky flu season would be nothing compared to the pandemic that could occur if bird flu became highly contagious among humans, which is why UCLA researchers and their colleagues are creating new ways to predict where an outbreak could emerge.

"Using surveillance of influenza cases in humans and birds, we've come up with a technique to predict sites where these viruses could mix and generate a future pandemic," said lead author Trevon Fuller, a UCLA postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability's Center for Tropical Research.

The researchers' models revealed that coastal and central China and Egypt's Nile Delta are danger zones where bird flu could combine with human flu to create a virulent kind of super-flu. Governments can prioritize these zones — and use the researchers' models to identify other hotspots — for increased monitoring of flu in humans, livestock, poultry and wild birds. That could help detect a novel flu virus before it spreads worldwide, the researchers said.
The research paper, "Predicting Hotspots for Influenza Virus Reassortment," was published March 13 in the peer-reviewed public health journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Continued:  http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uoc--phf031413.php

Infectious diseases kill 864 in China in Feb.

 [I think there is some "funny math" going on here.....so how many were Class A Infectious diseases?..of which H5N1 is one.]
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 360,240 cases of infectious diseases were reported on the Chinese mainland last month, resulting in 864 deaths, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Of the total, 240,374 cases were identified as Class B infectious diseases by the MOH, 853 of which were fatal, the ministry said.
Class B infectious diseases include AIDS, tuberculosis and dysentery.
Hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, dysentery and gonorrhea were the top five deadliest diseases in the Class B category, contributing to 95 percent of deaths.

Category C infectious diseases claimed 11 lives and accounted for the remaining cases, with infectious diarrhea, foot-and-mouth disease and mumps reported the most frequently, according to the statement.

The ministry noted that a 21-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man in southwest China's Guizhou Province died from avian influenza H5N1.
The two cases were not epidemiologically connected, according to the statement.
The human-transmissible form of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is an acute infectious disease in the respiratory system, mainly caused by the deadly H5N1 virus subtype. Major symptoms include high fever and pneumonia.
Human cases of bird flu are usually caused by transmission from poultry to humans.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2013-03/13/c_132230946.htm

Jordan confirms 4th fatality of H1N1 influenza this year

[I previously posted an article on this, translated from arabic, here.  This verifies my assumption]


AMMAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian health authorities announced Thursday the death of a 27-year-old pregnant woman suffering from H1N1 influenza, which increased the death toll of the disease in the country to four since the beginning of this year, the state-run Petra news agency reported.
The fourth fatality was reported in Princess Basma Hospital in Irbid, the hospital's director, Akram Khasawneh said.

Continued:  http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2013-03/15/c_132234569.htm

China: Vigilance grows as dead pigs in river reach 7,545

3/15/13
THE number of dead pigs retrieved from the Huangpu River in Shanghai increased to 7,545 after another 944 carcasses were retrieved by 3pm yesterday, officials said.
Spokesman Xu Wei said the city government is stepping up monitoring of water quality.
The government also is strictly supervising the biological treatment of the dead pigs and monitoring pork quality at local markets.

Continued:  http://english.eastday.com/e/130315/u1a7259302.html

Nanning Railway Bureau strict precautions against the novel #coronavirus was introduced to China from abroad

March 15, 2013
Translation
[Summary]   international a novel coronavirus epidemic, Nanning Railway Bureau to strengthen health security checks to prevent offshore novel coronavirus route through the railway was introduced to China more international passenger train and Pingxiang railway crossings station. According to AQSIQ, as of November 30, 2012, the global total of confirmed human cases of novel coronavirus infection in 9 cases, 5 deaths, the fatality rate was 55.6%, grim ports novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control work.

Full article:  http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hqgj/jryw/2013-03-15/content_8511160.html

WHO: March H5N1 Update

from Mike Coston and Avian Flu Diary:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2013/03/who-march-h5n1-update.html

Qatar: Testing for coronavirus now available at HMC

March 13, 2013
Excerpt:
By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter

The Hamad Medical Corporation’s Virology Laboratory is now fully equipped to test for novel coronavirus and any other suspected cases related to acute respiratory distress syndrome, two senior officials at the Supreme Council of Health yesterday said.
-snip-
“Unfortunately, more new cases might need to appear for us to be able to understand the virus…in the meantime, we have provided all needed kits to healthcare facilities here and a guideline they should follow unless there is a new regulation from the WHO,” Dr al-Hajri stated.

He explained that an interim surveillance recommendations for human infection with novel coronavirus include a person with acute respiratory infection, who may also have fever (above 38 degrees C) and cough as well as pneumonia, or has travelled from the Arabia Peninsula and or neighbouring countries within last 10 days.

Countries considered in the Arabian Peninsula and neighbourhood include Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The official added that any case that fits into the patient under investigation definition should be managed with respiratory precautions and immediately notified to the SCH’s HP and CDC section on hotline numbers 66740948 or 66740951 or fax – 44070812.

http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/345437/testing-for-coronavirus-now-available-at-hmc

India: Ranchi 'Hospitals ready to tackle bird flu cases'

By Ammi Kumari, TNN | Mar 15, 2013, 03.08 AM IST


RANCHI: The city hospitals said there was no bird flu scare and asked people not to panic after reports of birds dying mysteriously in Khunti district surfaced recently.

While allaying fears, hospital authorities said they were well prepared to handle an emergency situation.

Tulsi Mahto, director, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), appealed to people not to react to rumours of bird flu in the city. "People will be provided treatment (if there is an outbreak) and we are making all arrangements here at RIMS. We have an isolation ward for such patients here as those suffering from bird flu need to be isolated from others and have to be treated separately with proper care. Even those who suspect should come to the hospital and get themselves checked," said Mahto.

Continued:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/Hospitals-ready-to-tackle-bird-flu-cases/articleshow/18980122.cms 

China: Sick, dead pigs go to market: 46 jailed

2013-3-15

 A court in East China's Zhejiang Province Wednesday sentenced 46 people for processing and selling some 1,000 sick or dead pigs in a separate controversy swirling around China's porcine industry after more than 7,500 swine carcasses were pulled from Shanghai's Huangpu River over the last week.
-snip-
Both Zhang and Chen were convicted of producing and selling unsafe food. The pork they sold was found to contain proteus mirabilis, a virus that can cause severe food poisoning.
-snip-
The verdict coincides with the thousands of dead pigs found in Shanghai's Huangpu River, which shocked the city's residents and raised fears of contaminated water supplies which officials said have not been affected. Another 944 dead pigs were recovered on Thursday, according to Xinmin Evening News.

Full article:  http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/768307.shtml#.UUIMBxnlX_s

China: Huangpu River - Government Does Not Regulate The Pig Industry Well

3/14/13
In this post, by Reuters, a farmer in Jiaxing has said that 30% of his pigs have died since January 2013.  Also, the articles says that dumping pigs in the river is not unheard of.

Link:  http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/Dead_pigs_in_China_river_spotlight_heedless_industry.html?cid=35228148

Jiaxing pig farm dumped carcasses into Huangpu River

3/14/13
Excerpt:

A pig farm in Zhejiang's Jiaxing City yesterday confessed to dumping dead pigs into the Huangpu River, Xinhua news agency reported without naming the farm or giving any specific number of dead pigs it had dumped into the water.
The admission came after a preliminary investigation traced the birthplace of some of the dead pigs found floating in a section of the Huangpu River between Shanghai and Jiaxing, the Jiaxing government said.
Shanghai has provided 14 ear tags collected from the dead pigs, and Jiaxing is still investigating 13 of these tags, Xinhua said.
According to the Jiaxing government, a total of 70,000 pigs died due to crude raising techniques and extreme weather at the beginning of the year. All the collected corpses were disposed of safely, and no mass swine epidemic had broken out in the region so far.

2nd Article:
3/14/13
Officers from the Shanghai business administration check pork samples at a wet market in Jinshan District yesterday as part of efforts to ensure food quality after thousands of dead pigs were found floating on the Huangpu River. A pig farm in Jiaxing, a city in Shanghai's neighboring province of Zhejiang, admitted dumping dead pigs into the river after Jiaxing authorities checked one of the 14 ear marks found on the carcasses retrieved in Shanghai. Authorities in central China's Hubei Province are also investigating after 50 dead pigs washed up in a tributary of the Yangtze River.

Jordan: death of a woman and her unborn child from bird flu in Irbid

[most likely H1N1]
March 14, 2013

Irbid - Petra - The director of Princess Basma Hospital in Irbid, Dr. Akram Khasawneh and the death of a woman and her unborn child because of bird flu.
Khasawneh said in a statement to Jordan News Agency (Petra) said Thursday that Ms. (27 years) has introduced intensive care after being transferred from the Women's Hospital exquisite difficult condition and on a respirator, adding that he was isolating the patient and provide the necessary care.
He denied the existence of any case of the disease in the hospital, calling get sick to see a doctor and receive treatment required by deepening and the difficulty of escaping from it.
It is said that Princess Basma Hospital witnessed three months before the case of the death of a young bird flu.

Original:
اربد - بترا - أكد مدير مستشفى الاميرة بسمة في اربد الدكتور أكرم خصاونة وفاة سيدة وجنينها بسب مرض انفلونزا الطيور.
وقال خصاونة في تصريح لوكالة الانباء الاردنية (بترا) اليوم الخميس ان السيدة (27 عاما) ادخلت للعناية الحثيثة بعد نقلها من مستشفى بديعة النسائي بحالة صعبة وعلى جهاز التنفس، مشيرا الى انه تم عزل المريضة وتقديم العناية اللازمة .
ونفى وجود اي حالة بهذا المرض في المستشفى، داعيا من يصاب بالمرض الى مراجعة الطبيب وتلقي العلاج المطلوب قبل استفحاله وصعوبة نجاته منه .
يشار الى ان مستشفى الاميرة بسمة شهد قبل ثلاثة شهور حالة وفاة لشاب بمرض انفلونزا الطيور .

http://www.alrai.com/article/573851.html

Libya: Health Officials Confirm Cases of H1N1 Virus

Previously posted yesterday on this situation, here.
A number of flu cases reported recently in Libya are found to be of the type H1 N1 virus that leads to death when not treated properly, the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Mohamed Aboughalia told journalists in Tripoli Tuesday morning.

Infected cases so far have reached 29 cases. Five deaths have been reported including one in Tripoli, one in Zawia and three in Darna in eastern Libya.

Infected cases are distributed on Libyan cities to be six in Darna, two in Benghazi, three in Baiyda, one in Marj, three in Misurata, two in Khums, 10 in Tripoli and two in Zawia.

Three cases in Tripoli have been diagnosed as being infected with the H1 N1 virus while the remaining cases are being tested. -snip- He said Tamiflu medicine and spray ampoules have been distributed to all NCDC branches in the country.

Full article: http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=12&i=9988

Latest coronavirus patient had visited farm, Saudi official says

From CIDRAP - March 13, 2013
[editing is mine]

Investigators in Saudi Arabia learned that the latest person to die of a novel coronavirus (NCoV) infection had visited a farm before he got sick, according to a Saudi Arabian health official. Similar findings have been reported in at least 2 of the 14 other NCoV cases reported since the virus emerged last year. The latest case, involving a 39-year-old man in Saudi Arabia, was announced by the World Health Organization yesterday. Ziad A. Memish, MD, deputy minister for public health in Saudi Arabia, told CIDRAP News by e-mail, "What we know is that the patient has not traveled recently outside KSA [the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] and he has been to a farm outside Riyadh owned by his brother." Previous reports revealed that a Qatari man who was treated for NCoV infection in Germany last fall owned a farm where some goats had been sick before he fell ill himself. Also, a Saudi Arabian gym teacher whose NCoV illness was reported in November had visited a farm 3 days before he got sick. The source of the novel virus has not been identified, though it is related to coronaviruses found in bats. Memish commented that all patients hospitalized with pneumonia in Saudi Arabia are being screened for NCoV infection, "a strategy not implemented to my knowledge by any country in the world and that's why we continue to sporadically detect new cases. It will be good if other countries apply the same strategy to give the world an indication how wide spread this disease." Eight of the 15 confirmed cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/other/sars/news/mar1313scan.html

Nature: Receptor for new coronavirus found

13 March 2013
Decan Butler

Excerpt:

From a public-health standpoint, it will be important to learn whether human cases of hCoV-EMC — so far largely centred on the Middle East — are caused by occasional jumps from animal reservoirs, or whether the virus has adapted and is now a distinct human virus spreading between people. The answer could dictate whether control measures should focus on human-to-human transmission or on transmission from livestock.

Full Article:  http://www.nature.com/news/receptor-for-new-coronavirus-found-1.12584

Nature Editorial: The antibiotic alarm

There is a growing recognition that action must be taken to deal with the alarming rise in the incidence of bacteria resistant to today’s antibiotics, and its implications for global health.

 

12 March 2013

 

continued:  http://www.nature.com/news/the-antibiotic-alarm-1.12579

Nature: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 is a functional receptor for the emerging human coronavirus-EMC

[International Weekly Journal of Science]  Published online  13 March 2013 

Nature 495, 251–254 (14 March 2013) doi:10.1038/nature12005

Most human coronaviruses cause mild upper respiratory tract disease but may be associated with more severe pulmonary disease in immunocompromised individuals¹. However, SARS coronavirus caused severe lower respiratory disease with nearly 10% mortality and evidence of systemic spread². Recently, another coronavirus (human coronavirus-Erasmus Medical Center (hCoV-EMC)) was identified in patients with severe and sometimes lethal lower respiratory tract infection^{3, 4}. Viral genome analysis revealed close relatedness to coronaviruses found in bats⁵. Here we identify dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4; also known as CD26) as a functional receptor for hCoV-EMC. DPP4 specifically co-purified with the receptor-binding S1 domain of the hCoV-EMC spike protein from lysates of susceptible Huh-7 cells. Antibodies directed against DPP4 inhibited hCoV-EMC infection of primary human bronchial epithelial cells and Huh-7 cells. Expression of human and bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) DPP4 in non-susceptible COS-7 cells enabled infection by hCoV-EMC. The use of the evolutionarily conserved DPP4 protein from different species as a functional receptor provides clues about the host range potential of hCoV-EMC. In addition, it will contribute critically to our understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of this emerging human coronavirus, and may facilitate the development of intervention strategies.

 

• V. Stalin Raj,
• Huihui Mou,
• Saskia L. Smits,
• Dick H. W. Dekkers,
• Marcel A. Müller,
• Ronald Dijkman,
• Doreen Muth,
• Jeroen A. A. Demmers,
• Ali Zaki,
• Ron A. M. Fouchier,
• Volker Thiel,
• Christian Drosten,
• Peter J. M. Rottier,
• Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus,
• Berend Jan Bosch
• & Bart L. Haagmans

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v495/n7440/full/nature12005.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20130314 

Hong Kong: Poultry Ban from Netherlands

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (March 13) that it has banned importing poultry and poultry products, including poultry eggs, from a poultry holding in the village of Lochem, Gelderland Province, the Netherlands, with immediate effect in view of a notification from the Netherlands Consulate General in Hong Kong about an outbreak of H7 avian influenza in the village for the protection of Hong Kong's public and animal health.

Saudi Arabia: Isolated Patient in hospital in Al Farabi, Jeddah #Coronavirus #H5N1 #birdflu

[Translation]
March 12, 2013

Infected with bird flu disease lying Farabi Hospital in Oujda

 For the first time at the level of the east side creeping "Bird flu" Farabi Hospital in Jeddah, where sources reported "electronic transit" from inside infected with the disease may have been isolated from the rest of the patients . Registration satisfactory injury of this kind, accompanied by not knowing whether infected has brought with it the turquoise on the other hand, or that she sustained in the soil of the eastern side . This has alerted many observers of the danger of injury Drs trainees with contagious diseases due to lack إجراءهم vaccinations anti note that many of them engaged in Tdaribem different sections of the Farabi Hospital .

Libya: Numerous Deaths from Flu-lke Illness, some undiagnosed

March 12, 2013
Three people have died in Derna from a viral infection that the authorities suspect could be a form of the H1N1 virus. A post on the Health Ministry’s Facebook page states the deaths were the result of a respiratory track infection, causing shortness of breath, high fever and unconsciousness.

According to a statement from the Health Ministry, the cases did not respond to conventional treatment methods used internationally.

Confirming the three deaths today, Tuesday, while speaking at the press conference in Tripoli on the mass poisoning crisis, the Director Gernal of the National Centre for Disease Control, Dr Mohammed Abughalah, said three others in the town have fallen ill with similar symptoms. They are currently stable and receiving medication at an isolation unit to help prevent the virus from spreading. 

According to Abughalah, there have been 23 similar cases in Libya in addition to the six in Derna –  two each in Beida and Benghazi, one in Marj, three in Misurata, two in Khoms, ten in Tripoli and two in Zawia. In addition to the three deaths in Derna, one person had died in Tripoli and another in Zawia.
However, he also said that three cases in Tripoli had been diagnosed as H1N1 influenza. The other cases were still being analysed.

There are suggestions that those in eastern Libya could be cases of novel coronavirus (NCoV), also known as Saudi SARS. The first case was discovered in September last year in a Qatari man who had traveled to Saudi Arabia. Out of the 14 cases worldwide so far, there have been six cases there, four of them fatal.

In its statement today, the Health Ministry said that “upon communication with relevant authorities, it was confirmed that other similar cases were reported in some parts of Libya as well as in some Arab countries”.

It added that an isolation unit had been established and emergency team consisting of specialised doctors and nurses formed and equipped with all necessary medical supplies. Nearby hospitals had also been contacted to cooperate and exchange information.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) does not list Libya among the countries displaying the infection. However, it cautions “member states to continue surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns”.

Shanghai: Update on Pig Death in Huangpu River

It appears that the number of dead pigs has doubled within the past 24 hours.  It now stands at almost 6000 (5,916 to be exact) as of the time this article was printed. 
The source of the pigs is still under investigation.

The Huangpu River is a critical source of drinking water to the 23 million residents in Shanghai. 
The link the the full article can be located here.

Vietnam: Ca Mau: Many specimens positive for influenza A #H5N1

Director of the Department of Animal Health Ca Mau Province said Nguyen Thanh Huy dimensional 12.3 out of 24 samples of poultry has taken in the markets of Ca Mau for test results to 16 samples positive for the H5N1 virus.

Specifically, in the city. Ca Mau, quarantine 6 samples, 4 positive samples; market Thới Bình District 5/6 positive samples; market Khanh Hoi (districts U Minh) 1/3 positive samples; incision that and Rivers Director (Tran Van Thoi district) each took third place, but all positive.   know, from the beginning of 2013 in the province of Ca Mau appear three avian influenza outbreak. Before the bird flu situation complicated, especially pathogenic bird trade has tended to increase, Ca Mau veterinary strengthen the quarantine, epidemiological surveillance, livestock operations trafficking, poultry business.

Repercussions "SARS" going after a decade on his appearance #Coronavirus

Translation from CNN Arabic
الثلاثاء، 12 آذار/مارس 2013

Hong Kong (AP) - Scientists said that the repercussions of "SARS", which affects the respiratory system and seriously threatens the lives of patients, is still tangible in many areas severely hit by the epidemic.

Says Kathy Kong a survivor of SARS, she was living in the most neighborhoods vulnerable to a wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong, was injured more than 300 neighbors Kathy disease, adding: "I did not know that my case was dangerous and very scary that was morphological from the hospital, When I arrived to the complex and found that most of the shops adjacent to the residence was closed, and calm hangs over the region other than the normal days. "

The streets were in other parts of Hong Kong deserted even though it was usually crowded, in addition to pedestrian wear masks to protect them, which increased the volume of demand so that hospitals are finding it difficult to obtain.

Siam said Shaw, a specialist in breathing in Hong Kong: "We did not prepare properly then, because we thought that the disease will spread in a limited way .. Then we discovered spread further in the complex of gardens, as there was a shortage in stocks of these masks."

He continues Shaw said: "It was very frightening, and every member of the medical team felt a great responsibility, because we had more than one hundred people infected with SARS .. and usually people try to give emotional touch to their experiences except that the incident constituted a shock for all .. I do not take it myself a hero, because I was trained to deal with pneumonia and this is my job. "

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, the SARS stopped in 2004, but the repercussions are still showing in Hong Kong today .. There are banners sterilization dates on buildings, in addition to the spread of instant hand sterilizers in the streets, and when one of the region's population disease masks are deployed among the people to avoid moving to the rest of the population.

Kathy says she is glad to spread awareness among the people, adding that SARS victims are still receiving treatment, some physically and others mentally.

 http://arabic.cnn.com/2013/scitech/3/12/sars.10yrs/index.html

New fatal infection with novel #coronavirus reported in Saudi Arabia: WHO

The World Health Organization says it has been notified of another infection with the novel coronavirus.
This case makes the 15th so far since the virus came to light last fall.
The case was discovered in Saudi Arabia, which has reported the most cases of any country to date. The infection was in a 39-year-old man who was hospitalized on Feb. 28 and
 died March 2.

Continued:  http://www.thespec.com/news/world/article/901668--new-fatal-infection-with-novel-coronavirus-reported-in-saudi-arabia-who

#Coronavirus: New Case #15 - WHO Update

12 March 2013 -

 The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has informed WHO of a new confirmed case of infection with the novel coronavirus (nCoV).
The patient, a 39-year-old male, developed symptoms on 24 February 2013. He was hospitalized on 28 February 2013 and died on 2 March 2013. Preliminary investigation indicated that the patient had no contact with previously reported cases of nCoV infection. Other potential exposures are under investigation.
To date, WHO has been informed of a global total of 15 confirmed cases of human infection with nCoV, including nine deaths.
Based on the current situation and available information, WHO encourages all Member States (MS) to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns. WHO is currently working with international experts and countries where cases have been reported to assess the situation and review recommendations for surveillance and monitoring.
All MS are reminded to promptly assess and notify WHO of any new case of infection with nCoV, along with information about potential exposures that may have resulted in infection and a description of the clinical course.
WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event nor does it recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied.
WHO continues to closely monitor the situation. 

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_03_12/en/index.html

Egypt: Do not panic .. #Coronavirus weak ability to infection

Translation
3/12/13

Respiratory diseases are the most common cause of death for children in the third world and the most common cause of childhood illness in developed countries.

The respiratory viruses of the main causes of acute crises respiratory especially to people with asthma, where it can cause shortness of bronchial by destroying the cells lining the respiratory system, and increased secretion of the cells lining the respiratory system of some chemicals that aggravate allergies, such as "histamine".

This was confirmed by Dr. Magdy Badran, a member of the Egyptian Society of Allergy and Immunology and a Fellow of the Institute of Childhood, Ain Shams University during the seminar delivered by Bait Aviation Club culture, pointing out that the disease is a viral Corona acute respiratory viral diseases affecting humans of all ages.

Badran said that the new Corona virus infects the respiratory system, but the ability of the virus to transfer from one person to another is very weak, and it is not spread, and was named because it appears under the microscope in the form of a crown or halo.

As for the methods of infection, confirmed Badran be transmitted through contaminated droplets from the patient, and the patient's fluids and secretions that contaminate surfaces to Vttzll respiratory through the nose or mouth.

But do not panic, Cases registered HIV Koruna new since September 2012 to March 7, 2013 is 14 cases only in the world, because the transmissibility of the virus from one person to another very weak, explaining that he had no need to impose restrictions on travel, navigation, or pilgrimage.

 Continued:  http://www.moheet.com/2013/03/11/%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B0%D8%B9%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7/

Bangladesh: #H5N1 in Poultry Farm in Rajbari District

March 12, 2013
More than 1800 chickens were culled and 400 eggs destroyed following detection of bird flu virus at a poultry farm in Sadar upazila of Rajbari district on Sunday night.
The fowls were culled and eggs destroyed at Seraj Poultry Farm at Kalyianpur village due to an outbreak of avian flu, said Haripada Biswas, district livestock officer.
Farm owner Serajul Islam said, he found several chickens dead at the farm on Friday and informed it to the livestock officer.
The officer sent the dead chickens to Manikganj for laboratory test on Saturday.  The following day, the laboratory confirmed the detection of bird flu.

Continued:  http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/bird-flu-affected-chickens-culled-in-rajbari/

Cambodia: Prime Minister Calls on Gov. Agency & Civilian Groups To Come Together Combat #birdflu #H5N1

 12 March 2013
From VOA:

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday called on all government agencies and civilian groups to come together to combat the bird flu, which has killed at least eight people since January, a marked increase from the years since the disease first appeared in 2003.
 -snip-
Hun Sen said during a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh that the virus has spread in different parts of the world, including the Middle East and China.

#Birdflu: get rid of more than 2,000 chickens in Bihar

March 11, 2013 More than 2,000 chickens were culled and a large quantity of eggs destroyed in Bihar's Purnea district in the last 24 hours following an outbreak of avian flu, officials said Monday.

story continued: http://www.alhindelyom.com/india-features/4607-------2000----.html

Shanghai Govt.: Thousands Of Dead Pigs Retrieved From River

A very informative post from Avian Flu Diary:
http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2013/03/shanghai-govt-thousands-of-dead-pigs.html

Virus watch call goes to flight crews #coronavirus

Monday, March 11, 2013 Flight crews have been urged to be vigilant against the novel coronavirus, the cause of an acute respiratory infection, fever and coughing. There have been 14 cases and eight deaths worldwide, with the Middle East the hardest hit.

Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man called for vigilance after a 31-year-old man - an airline crew member - went to Saudi Arabia between March 4 and 7 and had a fever by Saturday.

He was admitted to the isolation facility at Queen Elizabeth Hospital with what was suspected to be respiratory trouble associated with the virus. But tests showed he was in fact suffering from flu.

His wife, suffering with a cough and sore throat, also tested negative for the virus after going into isolation at the hospital.

Ko noted there have been two scares involving airline crew members and, while both proved negative, authorities are considering stepping up preventive measures. These include shaping a warning, "in particular for inbound air flights and especially from the affected areas."

A spokeswoman for Cathay Pacific said the airline has "clear guidelines" for all crew and frontline staff on handling a suspected infectious disease, and it provides regular updates on the novel coronavirus.

But Julian Yau Chi-hung, vice chairman of Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, said: "We hope more masks and gloves can be provided to crew members and passengers, particularly on Middle East flights."
BEATRICE SIU

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_search_resu.asp

Pig virus detected in Shanghai river water

I posted an article on this yesterday.   Here is a follow-up

SHANGHAI, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A pig virus has been found in a water sample of a river where 1,200 dead pigs had been fished out, Shanghai authorities said.
Laboratory tests found porcine circovirus (PCV) in one of the water samples taken from Huangpu River, a water source for city residents, sources with Shanghai municipal agricultural commission said Monday.
The virus causes porcine circovirus disease in pigs but does not spread to human beings, a commission statement said.
All other tests of the river water provided negative results, including tests for common pig-borne diseases such as foot and mouth, swine fever, hog cholera and epidemic diarrhea.
Authorities are investigating where the dead pigs came from. The commission said they are working with neighboring provinces to trace their source, and have warned riverside residents to refrain from dumping animals into the river.
Local media reports said the pigs mainly came from Shanghai's neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
The city and Songjiang district governments retrieved the pigs from Friday night to Sunday. Enditem

Antibiotic Resistance 'A Ticking Time Bomb'

March 11, 2013
Diseases becoming resistant to antibiotics is as serious as terrorism and severe weather, the chief medical officer says.

article: http://news.sky.com/story/1062829/antibiotic-resistance-a-ticking-time-bomb

Last Suspect in Hong Kong was an Cathay Pacific Flight Attendant

 Here are some excerpts depicting that the latest suspected case was a flight attendant with Cathay Pacific:

Here:

 Department of Health spokesman said yesterday that the 31-year-old Air Master suspected to be infected with a new type of coronavirus, the test results have been proved to be a flow of the same cough and sore throat symptoms, his wife on March 8, but there is no travel history, two preliminary The test results show that the negative reaction to the new coronavirus. Cathay Pacific spokesman confirmed yesterday, arising from either the air Master Cathay Pacific flight attendant discomfort attendance Saudi Arabia.

Here:    Radio Television Hong Kong  -  20 hours ago

Ko Wing-man, the Secretary for Food and Health Bureau said that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital reported a new suspected cases of coronavirus, swabs of the patient, the morning has been sent to laboratory fastest noon there will be test results.

Ko Wing-man, this is the second crew of cases involving authorities liaise with the airlines, considering the to strengthen flight prompted the crew and passengers, and attention to their health.

 And from this website:

A hospital observation men diagnosed uninfected novel coronavirus virus - Chinese financial think tank

www.zgjrzk.com/news/.../1362910016245284.ht ...  - turned Traditional Web - Translate this page

13 Hours ago - an office in Hong Kong Chinese man cabin crew earlier this month to Saudi Arabia, after returning to Hong Kong have a cough, fever and headache.

 

And this:

Two Aircrew doubt dye novel coronavirus virus

 

And this:

News on the new coronavirus viruses stewardess empty less easily caught. 

Shanghai Huangpu River 900 Pigs Dead

Shanghai Huangpu River found nearly dead pigs 11 hours ago - translation The waters of the upper reaches of the Huangpu River, Shanghai Songjiang District, found a large number of dead pigs, ended at 16 o'clock on the 9th, the relevant departments to salvage dead pig 900 bulls and harmless treatment. Shanghai Water Authority water supply at Songjiang Huangpu River on the river appeared dead pig drifting phenomenon not yet have a big impact on local drinking water security. From the current situation, but also will not stop the water, it will not affect the production of the local waterworks. Shanghai Municipal Government to convene the relevant departments in the afternoon of the 9th meeting in the field, to take effective measures to quickly dispose of floating dead pig. According to the Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission said, Shanghai is not found to the phenomenon of the waters of the Huangpu River and other discarded dead pig, also found no major animal epidemic.

FDA Panel Recommends 2013-2014 Flu Vaccine Strains

The composition of the influenza vaccine for the 2013-2014 influenza season in the United States should be slightly different from that for the 2012-2013 season, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended.

After a meeting held February 27, the committee recommended that trivalent vaccines for the 2013-2014 season retain current vaccine strain A/California/7/2009pdm09-like (2009 H1N1) virus.

The committee also recommended replacing current vaccine strain A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like virus with an A(H3N2) virus antigenically similar to the cell-propagated prototype virus A/Victoria/361/2011 (A/Texas/50/2012) and replacing current vaccine strain B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus with a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like (B/Yamagata lineage) virus.

The committee also recommended that quadrivalent vaccines, which are expected to be available for the upcoming season, contain a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like (B/Victoria lineage) virus in addition to the viruses recommended for the trivalent vaccines.

These recommendations are based on "global influenza virus surveillance data related to epidemiology and antigenic characteristics, serological responses to 2012-2013 seasonal vaccines, and the availability of candidate strains and reagents," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes on its Web site.

The recommendations of the FDA committee match those made by the World Health Organization for the northern hemisphere influenza vaccines.

Continued:  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780427

Hong Kong: Man and his Wife Test Negative For #Coronavirus

Translation

Ming Pao Daily News  -  6 hours ago

The 31-year-old man was being treated in isolation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, preliminary laboratory tests confirmed he was infected with seasonal flu, not a novel coronavirus.

His wife also tested negative for HIV.

This man in early to Saudi Arabia, cough, fever and headache after returning to Hong Kong, is now in stable condition. Her wife recently traveled outside the same symptoms.